Ryuu Kusari no Ori -Kokoro no Uchi no 'Kokoro'-

[LN] Volume 2: Chapter 4.3

This chapter was brought to you by the collaboration between PolterGlast and Saekano Translations.

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Volume 2 Chapter 4.3

Those Who Once Fled, Those Who Still Struggling Part 3

Translator : PolterGlast

After leaving the Gloaurum Institution, Nozomu headed directly back to his dormitory.

The sun had completely set and it was getting dark.

Nozomu was still pondering over Mimuru's words as he walked along the road to the dormitory.

Why was he so concerned about Shina Juliel?

Certainly, her situation, as actually told to him by Tom and the others, would be something that would invite sympathy from a normal person.

But if one were to ask whether Nozomu himself felt sympathy for her, it would not be the case.

To begin with, she clearly harbored a distaste for Nozomu and avoided him. It would be difficult to feel sympathy for such a person.

However, he suddenly became concerned about her.

"Phew, It's no use worrying about it, though."

Just as he was about to take a deep breath to refresh his mind, Nozomu's eyes caught sight of a flickering blue light.

"......What's that?"

A pale light peeked through a gap in the dense trees in the central park. The light, which was obviously not artificial, was fluctuating like a flickering flame.

"I wonder what it might be......"

Nozomu was lured by the pale light and turned his attention to the central park.

The dense trees area, where dusk had spread out, was already enveloped in the darkness of the night.

In the darkness, Nozomu saw it.

"This is......."

Shina Juliel, the blue-haired elf, was standing there with blue-colored mana rising from her entire body. The light that Nozomu saw was the mana that she emitted.

Her white face peeking out from the shadow of her long hair, which was flickering with magic power, was covered with beads of sweat.

"Everyone, answer me......."

From the way Shina called out to someone other than herself and from the conversation in Torgrein's laboratory earlier, Nozomu guessed that she was about to use spirit magic.

The scene when they fought Tiamat came back to Nozomu's mind.

That time, the giant dragon with its countless spirits created a swarm of light bullets that covered the sky.

However, despite her call, there was no change around her as she raged with magic power.

Eventually, perhaps reaching her limit, the magic she was releasing disappeared, and Shina hung her head with her hands on her knees as she gasped roughly for air.

"~, once again!"

She wiped away the sweat and began to release her magic power once more.

However, the spirit still did not seem to respond to Shina's voice. Even so, she refused to stop.

She kept calling out to the spirit over and over again. Even if she got no response.

Even from a distance, from Nozomu's point of view, it was simultaneously heartbreaking and painful.

And then, at the same time, he realized.

Despite being scorned as a "dead leaf ear", she kept on making endless efforts to regain her hometown.

Even though people around her say it was futile, she refused to stop, and that figure reminded him of the same person he once was.

It was a kind of kinship. She was being shackled in a way she did not want to be, and the way she was scorned by those around her was a reflection of himself.

However, there was a definite difference between Nozomu and her. Because he was aware of his kinship, Nozomu also noticed a clear difference between her and himself.

(Ah, I see ....... She hasn't broken yet......)

Her eyes held strong willpower in them as she breathed out roughly and called out to the spirits while gasping for air under the burden of the magic power she was unleashing.

Her heart is not broken yet. She did not use her training as a means of escape, as Nozomu did.

Nozomu found it precious and enviable at the same time.

(...... It would be rude to peek any further.)

Nozomu turned on his heel and slowly walked away so that Shina would not notice. While stifling the bitter emotions swirling deep in his heart.

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The next day, Nozomu visited the Adventurers' Guild, curious about Garm's appearance near the city. The guild was still filled with the bustle of students, but behind the bustle, there was a tense atmosphere.

He knew the reason why. The other day, traces of a demonic beast were found near the outer wall of the eastern part of Arcazam.

It was a particularly powerful individual among the magic stone bearers. And this time, they were dealing with Direwolves. Since these demonic beasts act in packs, it would be necessary to have a large number of adventurers in order to defeat them.

When he scanned the lobby and checked the nameplates of the students at the reception desk, he saw that most of them were high-ranking students. When a high-ranked demonic beast is confirmed in the vicinity of Arcazam, students of C rank or lower will not be able to receive requests in the forest. Therefore, the students who visit the Adventurers' Guild tend to be high ranks themselves.

Also, among the students, there were school teachers who did not usually visit the guild, and they were followed by several teams of students.

The teams were qualified to take on the most difficult requests but were still inexperienced. Many of them were students who were younger than Nozomu.

There were currently two or three teachers in the guild, much fewer than the students, but they, too, were highly ranked and experienced.

Therefore, when a high-ranking demonic beast like this one is confirmed, they sometimes lead and guide a team of students who have little experience with such requests yet but have high potential, considering the difficulty and importance of the request.

"Excuse me......."

"Yes, oh, you are ......."

In the meantime, Nozomu went to the reception desk and found the receptionist who had attended to him yesterday.

When she confirmed that the visitor was Nozomu, she let out a somewhat tired sigh.

"U-, um, you look tired, what happened?......"

"No, it's nothing. Also, I have a nomination request for you."

"...... Eh?"

A nomination request. As the name suggests, it is a request in which the client nominates a specific person.

It would not be done without the client's trust, and at the same time, it was recognized by the guild as proof that he/she was an exceptional asset. Naturally, neither the receptionist nor Nozomu expected such a request.

"U-, um ...... why me?"

"I don't know. Certainly, you were in a party together with that Irisdina Francilt......."

The receptionist, stifling a sigh that was about to leak out, held out the request form to Nozomu. Nozomu's eyes widened involuntarily when she saw the client's name.

"Is this from Mena-san?"

Mena Manat. It was the middle-aged maid he met the other day at Francilt's mansion.

The request was to escort Somia.

"Ya, Nozomu, I see that you have decided to come to the guild."

He suddenly heard a familiar voice and turned around to see a fully armed Irisdina standing there with a smile on her face. Behind her were Tima and Mars, who were also fully equipped.

"Iris, Mars and Tima as well. Were you guys summoned to do the subjugation request, by any chance?"

"Yeah, we got the call. And we asked Mars to go with us."

When Nozomu glanced at Mars behind her, he gave a small nod in response to Nozomu's question.

"Thanks to my rank, I can join them. You too, hurry up, show your strength, and raise your rank."

"If possible, I was hoping you could lend me your strength as well......."

Irisdina's expression was clouded with regret.

"My apologies......."

"Don't worry about it. It seems you've got a lot on your plate as well."

Unlike Mars, Nozomu's current rank is D. He is not qualified to participate in this subjugation request.

A pang of pain ached deep in his chest. Having realized his escapism, the thought in itself weighed heavily on Nozomu's mind now.

"More importantly, ....... Even though you've started calling me by my nickname, it looks like you still maintain your formal way of speaking."

"Well, that's ......"

Perhaps noticing Nozomu's expression, Irisdina smiled at him in a slightly mischievous manner and closed their distance as if she was about to lean on him.

It was the same kind of situation he had experienced on a previous date. However, whether Nozomu himself would get used to it after having experienced it once is not a certainty.

Regardless of his own intentions, heat rose to his face, just as it had at that time.

At the same time, the gazes of the surrounding people began to gather on Nozomu at once. Until now, they had been gazes of suspicion, but this time, due to the close distance between him and Irisdina, a large number of rather unfriendly killing stares were directed at him.

With a chill running down his spine and the burning heat on his face, Nozomu's face repeatedly flashed red and blue like a flashlight.

"Would you please step away for a bit?"

"I'll only do so if you fix your way of speaking to me."

What more unreasonable demands can you ask of me, young lady!? Nozomu, inwardly screaming, gathered all his strength and spoke quietly.

"Will you move aside?"

"Good."

Irisdina pulled herself away from him. Nozomu plopped down on the counter, seemingly out of breath.

The receptionist, who had been watching the situation from the side, turned her coldest gaze yet on Nozomu.

"Haa-haa ...... you did this again, Iris. Can you please not do this to me?"

"Fufu, teasing you is just as fun as teasing Tima. I just can't help it."

"M-, me?"

Tima, whose name was suddenly brought up, opened her eyes wide.

"Oh, by the way, Tima. Did something happen between you and Mars-kun recently?"

"W-, what are you talking about?"

Perhaps the target shifted from Nozomu to Tima, Irisdina now began to close the distance toward Tima.

Nozomu, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation to fade away. He tried to be as invisible as possible so that he would not become a target again.

"Hmm, I felt like you two were kind of close today......"

"I-, it's just your imagination."

"Is that so? Although you deny it, your words don't seem to be very convincing, do they?"

Irisdina's pursuit continued, whether she was aware of Nozomu's attempts to hide or not.

"B-, by the way, Ai. What's with that hair clip? I've never seen you wearing a hair clip like that before."

But Tima, not to be outdone, began a counterattack.

"Hm? Oh, do you mean this? Nozomu gave it to me as a present. Fufu, it suits me, don't you think?"

"Eh, Nozomu-kun gave it? Eh, for you, Ai? E-, ehh?"

"So, about Tima and Mars-kun-......"

"Haa, it doesn't matter, does it? We're about to take a request, so don't make a fuss about something strange."

"Mmph......."

"Ha~! T-, that's right. We are going into the forest after this, so Ai, you should be a little more cautious too."

Perhaps growing tired of Irisdina's persistent behavior, Mars reminded her in a somewhat harsh tone of voice. Tima, who had been struggling with Irisdina's unexpected attack, took advantage of the unforeseen help.

"...... Well, that's fine. I guess we still have to look for that demonic beast first later."

"Speaking of which, Nozomu, what kind of request did you receive?"

"Well, I got a nomination request, but......"

While at a loss for words, Nozomu showed Irisdina the request form he was carrying.

"Hoo, let's see ...... eh?"

The expression on Irisdina's face changed to one of utter disbelief when she saw the request form. Judging from her expression, she apparently did not know that Mena had made a request to Nozomu, either.

Moreover, the request was for the protection of her most cherished sister. No wonder she was perplexed.

"Mena Manat? Who is she?"

On the other hand, Mars, who was peeking at Nozomu's request form next to him as well as Irisdina, asked Nozomu with his hand on his chin.

"She is the new maid who came to Francit's mansion. She came to Arcazam at the behest of Iris's father......"

"Is this nomination request also related to that incident?"

"I'm not sure, but......"

Mars implied that it was about the Waziart family matter, but unfortunately, Nozomu did not understand why Mena had nominated Nozomu for the request.

"...... I think, that's not the case. Well, certainly there may be some possibility that might be the case, but if anything, it might be because Mena herself is interested in Nozomu."

She frowned while covering her mouth with her slender fingers. And then a troubled expression appeared on her face.

"Eh? Why?"

"Mena is my mentor in swordsmanship. She is one of the best swordsmen in our country."

"......Why would someone like that become a maid?"

Irisdina's words were met with a doubtful response from Mars.

As one of the best swordsmen in the Kingdom of Forsina, she must be a very capable swordsman. However, even though Irisdina had assured him that Mena was a skilled swordsman, at the very least, Mars thought that she might not be suitable to be a maid.

"She was originally a well-known knight, but I heard that a lot of things happened to her in the past. And she was friends with my father and mother, and because of that she's been serving the Francilt family......"

Meanwhile, Irisdina also glanced at Nozomu with a bitter expression on her face.

"However, as a swordsman, she is an honest person, for better or for worse. Once she learned of Nozomu's swordsmanship, it would be impossible for her not to be interested in him as a fellow swordsman."

Nozomu felt a cold sweat running down his spine again as he met her somewhat penetrating gaze.

"Nozomu, you should be careful. She couldn't hold herself back."

Couldn't hold back? What in the world is she going to do to me? Anxieties suddenly flashed through Nozomu's mind.

Irisdina, on the other hand, smiled a meaningful smile and turned her back on Nozomu, ignoring his questioning gaze.

"Well then, Nozomu, be careful out there."

"A-, Ai? W-, wait a minute!"

"O-, oi-oi, what's going on?"

Irisdina was heading out of the guild, while Tima and Mars chased after her in a hurry.

Nozomu, who was left behind, was bewildered and worried, alternately staring at the request form in his hand and at his friends as they left.

"...... Eh? What, what do I have to be careful of?"

The other party was a maid who worked for a major noble family. Yet, from what he had just heard, it was to be expected that she would have considerable power among the servants of the Francilt family.

"J-, just to be clear, I'm the one who's being asked to do this, so it's all good, right? Yep, maybe ......."

Deciding to head to the Francilt mansion for the time being, Nozomu put the request form he was carrying in his pocket.

"Garm, huh? I believe Iris and the others would have no problem with it......"

Garm is certainly a formidable demonic beast that could be considered a serious threat. It could destroy a village in a single night.

It was impossible not to be worried about it. Still, there was nothing that Nozomu could do now. Right now, he was not qualified to go with Irisdina and the others.

They had already departed, and the other high-ranked students had most likely gone to the Spasim Forest as well, leaving the halls of the Adventurers' Guild almost completely deserted.

Nozomu couldn't help but let out a sigh upon seeing the empty hall.

"Hah, I know there's no point in worrying about it, but ......"

Nozomu's gaze turned to the door of the hall where Arisdina and the others had left.

He understood that he was left behind all by himself in this way as a result of his own repeated escapism. Nevertheless, having regained the warmth of having a companion once again, the loneliness and frustration swirling deep in his chest would not disappear.

At the same time, the swirling loneliness and frustration, along with a sense of heaviness, became dissatisfaction that almost came out of his mouth.

And then, he began to feel disgusted with himself for harboring such dissatisfaction.

"Truly, I'm such a-......"

Such a hopeless guy. As quickly as he could, Nozomu swallowed the frustration that was about to rise to his throat.

No matter how pathetic he felt, he knew he must not say it out loud.

However, the more he tried to shake it off, the more the frustration and loneliness in his chest gradually grew without him realizing it.

(For now, let's focus on what's in front of me......)

Nozomu took a deep breath as if to refresh his mind, and left the guild to fulfill the request he had received.

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After parting with Nozomu, Irisdina and the others went on their way to the south gate.

This is because the Adventurers' Guild is located in the commercial district, which is on the south side of Arcazam, so this is the closest place from which they can head to the Spasim Forest.

In fact, around them were several parties of high-ranked students who had also received the special subjugation request.

"So what are we gonna do? From what I have heard, our opponent this time is Garm. It's highly intelligent, and even if it doesn't have a magic stone, it's a demon wolf that could use magic from birth. How troublesome. Seems like he is the leader of the Direwolves......"

"If it were just Garm alone, I'm confident that I could take him on by myself. The only problem here is the packs. It seems that the last time we fought, it was just one of the packs that Garm had."

A pack of wolves is basically composed of individuals who are blood-related to each other. When the pack grows too large, some individuals leave the pack and create new packs.

However, a powerful leader may have several packs under his/her control that are newly created from his/her own offspring.

One could surmise that this time the demonic beasts were one of those.

"That means we need another group to cooperate with us......"

"The vanguard can be handled by me and Mars, so what we need will be the mid-guard and the rear guard. If we are thinking of looking for a group, a scout who is familiar with the forest would be preferable."

Whereupon Irisdina let out a small sigh.

"When I think about it, it would have been nice to have Nozomu's cooperation here. However, we cannot rely on him this time. Then ......"

Irisdina's eyes turned to one of the parties gathered at the south gate.

Tima and Mars also followed her gaze and let out an unintentional gasp.

"Hello, would you like to work together with us?"

The people Irisdina called out to were the blue-haired elf and the catfolk girl.

"Oh? Isn't this the black-haired princess? Are you sure you are okay with us?"

"Yes, from the way I see it, you're a scout, and Shina, you know a lot about the forest, too, don't you?"

Even though at first Mimuru was surprised when she was spoken to, in the end, she smiled with joy.

"By the way, where is Tom-kun?"

"Tom is staying in town for his research, you see. Besides, the objective this time is to subjugate demonic beasts, not to collect materials or anything of the sort......"

According to Mimuru, Tom himself is not good at fighting, so only the two of them came together this time.

Mimuru's ears drooped down, perhaps because she felt lonely remembering the lover she had left behind in town.

On the other hand, Shina, after confirming Irisdina's figure, began to look around restlessly, as if looking for someone.

"Where's he?"

"He? ...... Do you mean Nozomu? His rank is insufficient, so he couldn't accept this request."

"I see ......."

Irisdina was puzzled by the somewhat relieved expression on Shina's face.

Although it was not an obvious bad emotion such as disgust, it was a somewhat negative feeling with a hint of uneasiness.

"Did something happen between you and him?"

The confusion that welled up within her led Irisdina to inadvertently ask if something had happened between Shina and Nozomu.

"Well, actually......."

"Nothing serious."

Shina interrupted Mimuru who was about to answer Irisdina's question. There was a stronger sense of evasion in her eyes than before.

Don't touch. In the face of Shina's silent protest, Irisdina realized that she could not continue this conversation.

"Shina, calm down."

"So, where do we start looking?"

Ignoring Mimuru's attempts to calm her down, Shina turned the conversation to discussing the subjugation.

"...... It seems that the footprints were found near the outer wall on the east side of the city. Should we start searching through the forest from there?"

"Alright. Mimuru, are you okay with that?"

"Well, why not? Let's go then."

With no choice but to change the subject, a course of action was presented. Although there was no particular difference in opinion and both parties were now in agreement, however, another tension was felt between the two parties as they were about to embark on a request to subjugate the demonic beast.

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